U.S. Dept. of Energy to Supercharge Development of ‘Extreme Fast Charging’ Systems

The United States Department of Energy announced that it plans to provide up to $15 million on research projects to develop what it called “extreme fast charging” systems for electric vehicles as well as batteries capable of very fast charging.

The agency said the new systems will likely decrease charge time to 15 minutes or less, which is significantly lower than current charge times.

Developers are being asked to identify baseline plug-in EVs and propose how the new standard will improve charging times, demonstrate XFC technology, and provide detailed plans for charging locations and required infrastructure.

The Vehicle Technologies Office will focus on two areas, namely advanced battery projects that will emphasize early-stage research of battery cells that will make extreme fast charging possible, and electrification projects that will see the development and verification of electric drive systems and infrastructure for the extreme fast charging.

The big news in the hotel world was the 2017 opening of the Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski in Havana, the city’s first proper grande dame of a hotel to open in the island nation. Located in the historic Manzana de Gómez building, Cuba’s first shopping mall in the center of Old Havana, the hotel is truly in a class of its own.
An oasis in a city that’s somewhat crumbling and …

A more complete story of how a Horizon Air employee was able to steal, fly, and subsequently crash an aircraft taken from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Friday evening is beginning to emerge as details come to light.
Richard B. Russell flew a Bombardier Dash 8 – Q400 turboprop plane for almost an hour over Puget Sound, even performing aerobatics, until it crashed on Ketron Island, off the shore of Steilacoom. Mr. Russell, …